Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy of Australia, founded in 1911. Following Australian independence from the United Kingdom in 1901, Australia was given a local defense fleet, which became the official navy of the country in 1911. The British Royal Navy closely cooperated with the RAN in the Pacific, selling Australia military vessels. After the destruction of Force Z, the RAN was forced to operate either independently or with US Navy forces, no longer having the support of the British. The RAN  had 39,650 personnel and 337 warships at its height, making it the fourth-largest navy in the world, and it lost 34 vessels during the war. The RAN later took part in the Korean War, the Malaysian-Indonesian confrontation, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War, and Indian Ocean counter-piracy operations.